Design simulation is a useful technique which allows engineers to simulate execution of circuit designs. The simulation may be performed prior to the fabrication of a physical circuit (i.e., in the pre-silicon stage) and may allow for easy tracking of the execution as a value of each wire in the design at every cycle.
One drawback of simulation is the fact that simulation is often time consuming and simulating hundreds of thousands of cycles or even millions, may require hours or even days.
One manner to expatiate simulation is by utilizing specific hardware platforms which provide simulation capabilities, which are known as emulators and accelerators. Such platforms are expensive and require specific designated hardware. Furthermore, in some cases, such platforms do not allow for tracking of every value of a wire.